Introduction
by EntendulesDeuxSens
Summary: Robin never intended for his team to get involved with his old life in Gotham, but when he gets called back, he finds himself in a situation where if his separate lives don't come together, he stands to lose his. Challenge series. Slight RobStar.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**_ _Disclaiming that I've never read the comics, and I'm getting whatever additional information I need off of the DC comics wiki page. If I mix different universes together, well... deal with it. Onward and upward._

They met at seven in the evening unless they were off handling an alert, or he was. Tonight, apparently, was a slow night because the communication went through and there was Robin, sitting alone in the dark. "Hey guys. I don't have long tonight." He glanced at something over the computer. "I've got to head out on patrol soon. I just wanted to check in and see how that fight with Galtry went."

Beast Boy crossed his arms over his chest with a scowl. "I could have done without that reunion." Then, as it occurred to him, "Hey! Are you checking up on us?"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "If you mean 'am I keeping up to date with what's going on in Jump' then yes. Just because I'm not there right now doesn't mean it's not still my city. Or my team."

Cyborg waved a metal hand. "Man, you worry too much. I can handle the Titans network just fine."

"Yes," Starfire agreed, leaning in towards the screen. "You must keep your attention on doing what must be done in Gotham so that you may return to us soon!"

He smiled, that soft smile that was just for her, and someone in the background made a noise that did not sound pleased. Robin looked over the computer again and scowled. "I'll be home soon, Star. I promise."

Beast Boy, apparently over his annoyance with Galtry, sat up straighter. "Dude, what are you doing there anyway? You've been gone for a month. What happened in Gotham that's _so bad_ that you're still there?"

Robin shook his head. "I've already told you. I can't talk about it. I have to go now, but I'll talk to you tomorrow." He shut off the computer and leaned back in his chair, sighing. Nicolas Galtry, infiltrating the tower. That must have been hard for Beast Boy to deal with. If the changeling didn't talk much about his time with the Doom Patrol, he talked even less about his family. None of them did, really, but Robin knew from personal experience how hard it was to have to face someone from your past. Tony Zucco was an enemy he would never forget.

A low, irritated voice dragged him out of his reverie. "Done daydreaming?"

He grit his teeth, glaring at Batman. "I could always go home, if that's what you would prefer."

Batman's face was impassive. "I'd prefer you to get off your ass and go patrol, then go home and teach that team of yours some more respect. I would never allow you to question me the way they do you."

"Don't I know it." Dick muttered under his breath, but he got to his feet. Patrol now. Argue with Bruce later. He didn't bother to take the R-cycle. He needed stealth over speed for his quarry. A little over a month ago, his guardian had contacted him suddenly in the middle of the night. There had been a massive break out at Arkham Asylum, and Babs had gotten caught in the crosshairs, taking her out of commission until her broken leg healed. He was needed back home.

He had known that returning to Gotham would mean that he had to play by rules he didn't like, would have to follow orders he didn't like, but Robin had always been and would always be Batman's partner, and when Gotham was in this much danger, well... he'd come back. He hadn't wanted to, but he had, and he knew he would make the same choice again. He scrambled up the side of a building, perching on the roof and scanning the street below. It wasn't a nice part of the city, but he was nowhere near its dark, seedy underbelly. Trash gathered in the gutters and it smelled of wet asphalt and smog, but the street was clear. Rain clouds were gathering, which was nothing new, but not something he was looking forward to. He checked the street again and moved on, darting along the rooftop and leaping to the next.

It had taken them barely a week to catch Scarecrow, but that wasn't particularly surprising. Batman had subjected him to that fear gas hundreds of times until he learned to ignore the pounding of his heart and the lies his eyes were telling him. Scarecrow's biggest problem was that he was always looking for the biggest and most immediate reaction. It made him easy to find, although Dick had gotten a nice reminder of exactly how awful that gas was. He'd been pale and shaky for days, and it had taken him at least an hour on the webcam with the Titans to convince them not to come to Gotham when they saw how much of a mess he was. It was another two days before he was sure they wouldn't ignore his orders completely. Batman hadn't been happy.

"He's never happy." Dick growled to himself, crouching in the shadow of a gargoyle on a church. A couple walked side by side on the street below, oblivious to their observer. Neon lights shone in the windows of the buildings they passed, and someone had gutted a car down the street. He cast around for movement, but saw nothing.

"What was that?" Bruce's voice was in his ear, low and annoyed.

He shifted slightly for a better look down an alleyway, but still, nothing. Whoever had stripped the car was long gone. It didn't matter. He had a bigger target. "You heard me."

A beat of silence. "You're going to miss things if you don't stay focused. Are you this chatty with that team of yours?"

His grip tightened on the edge of the building and he was certain that Bruce could hear his teeth grinding through the sensitive earpieces. He replied while he shimmied down a pipe and into an alleyway. "I haven't missed anything, and how I lead the Titans is none of your business." They'd stopped Slade, saved the world from a demon from another dimension, defeated the Brotherhood of Evil, and in doing so, had brought together a network of young heroes that rivaled the Justice League. What would it take to impress this guy?

He crept through the street, keeping to the shadows, and started up a fire escape, scanning. Always scanning. They'd caught Two-Face and the Riddler a little over a week and a half ago. Robin had taken the Riddler. More than Zucco, maybe even more than Deathstroke, he wanted a rematch with Two Face. He wasn't some weak little kid anymore who would get so easily caught, so easily beaten. It grated that Bruce hadn't given him the chance, especially considering all the trouble it had caused him the first time.

"It is when they're used against you. Or did you think wearing a new suit would mean I wouldn't recognize that it was you stealing from me?"

He almost missed his grip to the next rooftop, fingers scrabbling against the gutter and he slammed into the brick wall with enough force to knock the wind out of him. There was no grace in the way he pulled himself over the side and dragged in a breath. "I would be surprised if you don't have a tracker planted on me even in Jump. And I handled that situation." He'd also stolen from a lot more people than Bruce, but everything had found its way back once they'd beaten Slade.

"You're too attached. It's a weakness you can't afford to have."

"Weren't you the one accusing me of being chatty a minute ago?" he asked through his teeth.

"Robin, I'm not sure I want you going back there."

That time he really _did_ miss his grip, and only his grappling hook stopped him from being splattered on the pavement below. He stopped under the shadow of a satellite dish. "You do _not_ get to make that call." There was movement below. A woman, by the figure, walking alone, wearing a trench coat against the chill in the air. He crouched, leaning over the edge of the building with a frown. He'd reached the worst parts of town by now, where no sane woman would travel solo, but there was something very familiar in the confidence of that walk, the sway of her hips, that told him that this was no sane woman.

"I'm your _guardian_ , and I-"

"Harley Quinn." _This_ was what he'd been seeking. They'd reunited Poison Ivy with Arkham just last week, and now all that was left was these two. Harley and the Joker. "I'm following."

"I'm on my way. _Do not engage_."

He rolled his eyes. "This conversation isn't over," he hissed in reply, and darted along the rooftop after her. Her legs, below the bottom of her coat, were pale, no trace of the red and black get-up that he was so used to, but it was her. He climbed down a fire escape and dropped to the pavement on silent feet, then darted into the road behind her. There was a trick to tailing someone when they're on the street alone and you're in uniform. He kept to the shadows, ghosting from one piece of cover to the next, letting her stay well ahead of him. He ducked into the shadows of a parked car and surveyed the street behind him. He wouldn't put it past the Joker to sneak up on him while he tailed Quinn. All was quiet, and when he turned to move again, she was gone. He crept out from behind the car, scanning the street from side to side to find where she went. A slight flicker on the ground caught his attention and he knelt on the sidewalk, studying the ground. This stretch of sidewalk... hadn't there been construction here recently? And it was a different shade from the rest, just barely noticeable if you looked closely. He prodded it carefully and his fingertip passed through the concrete, light bouncing off him to reveal the hole still in the ground. A hologram.

Clever, but not clever enough. The street beside him was clear, with no available cover, but there was a store awning overhead, with metal beams supporting it, and he leapt up to grab one and started making his way across. They were thin, not really built to hold his weight, but he moved carefully, keeping his head low. The fabric of the awning moving with wind that didn't exist would be a dead giveaway. Joker was smart. He had to be smarter. Almost there. Now all he had to do was grab the last beam and swing across and over the hole. As soon as his hand closed around the metal, there was a low hiss and the awning filled with gas, catching him off guard. His fingers went numb and he dropped, crashing through the hologram and down into the hole beneath. He could hear heels approaching, and then a blonde was grinning down at him in his blurred vision, hand propped on her hip. "Been a long time since I seen you around here, Sugar."

The last thing he heard as his vision faded to black was laughter, cold and insane.


	2. Chapter 2

Starfire was trying to meditate, but it was difficult to focus on peace and tranquility when all nine of her stomachs were twisted in concern. The first day that Robin had not contacted them had not worried her. That he did not send a message or answer when she called him that night did not even worry her. He had spent the entire night away on this trip before, and – aside from one incident where he showed up pale and shaking – had been fine. They would receive a communication from him some time early the following afternoon, looking sleep-mussed with a cup of coffee.

She began to worry the second night he did not appear, and had slept poorly because of it. Raven had clearly noticed this, because the empath invited her to meditate. It was an activity that Starfire usually enjoyed, but she could not bring her mind away from Robin. He hadn't been looking forward to leaving, though he had assured her that his distaste was because of his strained relationship with his father, not because he was in any particular danger in Gotham.

She had to believe him. He had fought in Gotham for years at Batman's side. The danger he faced now was nothing that he had not faced before, and he has always come out alive, if not on top. Surely nothing is different this time.

But if he was unharmed, why would he not call? "Starfire!" Raven said her name in a tone that suggested this was not the first time her friend had tried to get her attention. In a much softer tone, she continued, "I'm trying to find him right now. I know you're worried, but I can't focus with you practically shouting it at me."

But Gotham was so far away. "Can you reach that far?"

Raven shrugged. "Not with most people, but I know Robin's mind almost as well as I know my own. Sometimes even better. If I can find anyone, it will be him, but I need to focus."

Starfire knew that Robin was close to all of them, her most of all, but he and Raven shared a bond, a deep understanding of one another. She knew that Raven was correct, and also her friend's statement went both ways. If anyone could find Robin, it would be the girl sitting beside her. "I will try not to worry so loudly."

Raven rewarded her with a small smile. "Thanks. _Azarath Metrion Zinthos,_ " she intoned, dragging out the last word and she opened eyes that had filled with power.

She flew with her raven out of the tower and into the sky, speeding faster and faster, north and east, towards Gotham. Towards Robin.

She knew the moment she locked onto him because flashes from his life began flitting through her mind. A boy a few years younger than him with blue eyes and black hair and something to prove. A funeral with a heavy hand on his shoulder. A lonely headstone. An older man sitting alone in an opulent kitchen, staring into a mug of tea. A younger version of herself with a timid expression and a white cloak. Starfire, kneeling on the ground in Tokyo, soaked with the rain and smiling.

And then she could sense him. _Raven?_ His mind felt muddled, fuzzy.

 _Robin, what's going on?_

Fear tore through her. His fear, not hers. _No, Raven, you have to leave! He'll find you!_ Fear for her, for them. Another image flashed in her mind. Robin lying broken and empty on the ground.

 _Who?_ She pressed, trying to soothe him. She could feel him, just there, but he'd erected a wall around his mind that she couldn't penetrate. _Robin, let me in. I'm trying to help you._

 _You can't. Raven, you have to go. Please._

 _Robin, I-_

Pain. Burning and jolting through every inch of her. No. Of _him_. Her eyes shot open and she was back in Titans Tower, Starfire peering anxiously down at her. She sat up, feeling jittery and shaken. "Robin."

"Where is he?" Starfire demanded.

"I don't know. I didn't see." She put a hand to her head. "We need more information. Get everyone to the Ops room. Now." Starfire didn't need to be told twice, and by the time Raven arrived, they were waiting for her. "Robin's in trouble. Cyborg, I need you to hack into Batman's systems and find out what's going on."

You didn't encroach on another hero's territory, and you certainly didn't invade their private systems. They all shared information with each other, but they all also had their own files. Batman was the only exception. He was notoriously tight-lipped about pretty much everything, and under normal circumstances, hacking his systems would be unthinkable. But these were not normal circumstances, and Cyborg didn't hesitate. "I'll see if I can get in using Robin's access."

"Raven?" Starfire was hovering nervously, her hands wrapped across her stomach as though she could protect herself from the bad news she knew was coming. "Is Robin okay?"

The kind thing would be to lie to her, but Raven was her friend, so she told the truth. "No. I couldn't figure out where he was, but wherever he is, he's afraid, and he's hurt. It felt like..." Thinking back, the sensation was familiar, something she'd dealt with before in battle. Overload. "Electricity. He got shocked."

Beast Boy's head snapped up. "Is he... I mean, he's not..."

She shook her head. "He's alive." She would know if he wasn't.

"Uh... guys?" Cyborg's voice sounded strangely detached. "I found the most recent file in the system. You want to see this." A few keystrokes and a video popped up on the screen. Yellowed teeth filled the image in close detail, and when it played, maniacal laughter filled the room.

On screen, Joker danced back away from the camera, still laughing. "Oh _Batsy!_ " He crowed, "is it my birthday? Christmas? This is the best gift you've ever given me!" He leaned forward to kiss the lens of the camera with a dramatic smack. "Oh, this is too perfect! I have a present for you too, Bats! There are four trains passing through Gotham station this week with a special delivery, just for you! They're going to pull into the station and release some of my special little cocktail." He dangled his hand in front of the camera to show off a spiked ring he wore. "But Bats, you haven't been playing by the rules. All this time, you let me believe that I rid you of Boy Blunder, and a little birdie told me that it was the wrong one!" He pranced backwards, until the camera could see the full view of the room. It was a warehouse of some kind, but the light shone specifically on a massive steel birdcage hanging from the ceiling, and the figure hanging chained inside it. Robin's body was limp, his head hanging forward, but there was no doubt that it was him. Joker, laughing madly, pushed a ladder to the birdcage and started climbing it, a crowbar hanging from one hand. "If you can stop the trains in time, Bats, Blunder here might have a chance. Look at him, Bats! All grown up, and I don't know how I didn't realize you'd made the switch already." He opened the door of the cage and stepped inside. Robin tried to kick him, and then he convulsed as electricity shot through him, then fell still again. Joker grinned and bolted back down the ladder, slamming the cage door behind him and cackling. "Did you replace him, Bats? Did I kill an innocent little boy so your Robin can run free, or do you have an army of them? How many times do you think I can shock him? He gets a jolt every time he moves, but don't worry; there's not enough juice in it to kill him. He won't die like that. I'm sure you remember what happened to the last one, but I'll give you a sneak peek of what's coming if you don't stop the trains and get here in time!" Still laughing, he drew back the crowbar and swung. The screen went dark.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Indeed, Beast Boy looked even greener than he usually did. He darted out of the room.

Starfire had tears in her eyes. "That is... that is..."

Cyborg stood, his voice like ice. "We're going to Gotham."

Raven hated to be the voice of reason here. "We can't. Not yet. If Batman has a plan, and we interfere, we'll get Robin killed. We need to meet with Batman first and figure this out."

Cyborg rounded on her, hands curled into fists. "There's no time for that. Did you just see the same thing I did? We have to get him the fuck out of there! How're we gonna find the Batcave? You gonna use your weird creepy powers?!"

She forgave him for that one, because she could feel the revulsion and despair rolling off him in waves. Rolling off all of them, and probably her too. But now more than ever, she couldn't fall apart. "He said he killed Robin."

"No." Starfire's voice was barely a whisper. She was sitting on the ground, hugging herself with her head shaking slowly back and forth. "No, he would not. Robin would never allow someone to be killed in his place. The Joker was not telling the truth."

Raven wanted to comfort her, but there was no time. The pieces were all there, she just had to put them together. The blue-eyed boy. Robin, dead on the ground. The funeral... What was the name on the headstone? "Who's Jason Todd? It's important."

Cyborg ran a search. "Uh... street kid from Gotham. Died about a year ago in a mugging. He was... woah, he got taken in by Bruce Wayne. Kid won the lottery and lost it all in a couple years."

There it was. She went to look over his shoulder at the computer. "Get me a picture of the Wayne family."

Cyborg clicked over to the images tab. "No Mrs. Wayne in the picture, but here he is with the kids he's taken in. Jason Todd and Dick Grayson." The picture was from a media tabloid, with Wayne in the middle, one hand on the shoulder of each boy. They looked remarkably similar: black hair and blue eyes, with similar strong builds. The one on the left was the boy from Robin's memory. Jason Todd. The one on the right... His hair was styled differently, falling around his face neatly, but there was no mistaking him. "I know where to find Batman. Get Beast Boy and let''s go."

 **Author's Note:** I intended for this to be written in Starfire's POV, but for some reason, it just wanted to be in Raven's. I kind of like it that way though. I'm trying to keep these people in character. Let me know how I'm doing!


	3. Chapter 3

Raven still wasn't sure how she ended up taking charge of the team. It's been well established that Cyborg was second-in-command, but this time he couldn't do it. If this was how he reacted when Robin was in trouble, she didn't want to see what he was like if Beast Boy ever got nabbed. He was ill-tempered and impatient, ready to charge in, sonic cannon blazing, and it was likely to get them all killed.

Beast Boy was quieter than usual, but there was a grim determination about him that she liked. He didn't hero worship Robin anymore, not like he used to, but there was still a certain level of admiration there, underneath a layer of solid friendship.

It was Starfire she was most concerned about. The Tamaranian had barely said a word on the trip to Gotham, and Raven could only sense a vague numbness from her. Beneath that, a storm gathered. She only hoped they weren't still in Wayne Manor when it broke.

She wasn't much better. Her emotions were locked down, because she wouldn't be able to do what needed to be done if she didn't have more control than the others. Someone had to be calm and rational enough to lead, after all. Regardless, the demon inside her shredded at her chest, roaring to _get Robin._

An older Englishman in a crisp suit had let them in, introduced himself as Alfred Pennyworth, showed them to the study, and left them alone. The study was much like the rest of the house, with high ceilings, a wall-to-wall bookshelf, and a massive oak desk with a Wayne-tech computer. Everything about the place screamed old money. They'd settled in, Cyborg in a plush armchair, Starfire on the sofa with Beast Boy in cat form on her lap, and Raven hovering in the middle of the room. Silence had crept in, taking hold of the space until she could take it no longer. "This is where he grew up." It was easy to picture Dick Grayson the boy, brow furrowed while he studied on the floor, the end of his pen between his teeth like he held it when he was doing the crossword, or leaping from branch to branch in the trees outside the bay winder.

Cyborg leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Dick Grayson is Robin. Man, I did _not_ see that comin'."

"I think that was the idea." It explained why he was so careful about his secrets. It didn't take much of a leap to figure out what role Bruce Wayne played in all this once the connection was made. Robin was protecting more secret identities than just his own. "Now I know why he's so careful about that mask."

Alfred returned with a tray full of tea and finger sandwiches. "I gathered that you didn't stop to eat on your journey here." A kind of fond exasperation rolled off him, and that was... worry.

Raven blinked. So, the butler knew, at least that Robin was caught. But what else? Testing the waters, she reached for one of the sandwiches. "It was very kind of you to let us in."

"How could I not? The Teen Titans are known to us, even here. Your Robin began his career in Gotham, after all."

Beast Boy leapt off Starfire's lap, becoming human again between the sofa and the floor. "Um... I don't suppose any of those are vegetarian?"

Alfred turned the tray, indicating a separate pile. "Cucumber and tomato. I regret to say there was no tofu immediately available."

Beast Boy's eyes lit up and he dug in. Raven sipped at her tea. "You're very astute, Alfred. I don't think it's common knowledge that Beast Boy is a vegetarian."

A bland smile and the thrill of a challenge. "I prefer to be prepared for as many eventualities as possible, and it seemed rather likely that a young man who can be any animal would refrain from eating them." She felt a matching thrill. The pleasure of finding an opponent who could match her in a game of chess. "Forgive my asking, but you said you were seeking young Robin. What prompted you to come to the manor seeking Master Bruce?"

She didn't like the way Cyborg was looking at her, his human eye narrowed like he was puzzling something out. She didn't need him blurting out secrets until she was certain. So she smacked his hand when he reached for his seventh sandwich and nodded towards Starfire. Sheepishly, he gathered up a handful and brought them to Star, who started eating mechanically. "Most of the technology we use in the Tower is Wayne-tech." Lie. Cyborg had designed their systems. The only Wayne-tech laptop in their home was Robin's. "We're trying to pinpoint Robin's location, and in a situation this serious, I'd prefer to use the technology we're already familiar with. We were hoping that Mr. Wayne wouldn't mind, since Robin is important to him."

"What makes you say that?" His voice was pleasantly curious, but suspicion joined the fray of his emotions.

"You said it yourself. Robin originated in Gotham. I was under the impression that the people here are rather fond of him," she said blandly, then, "We would, of course, prefer to be working with Batman, who knows him best, but I hear he's difficult to find. If we knew who wore the suit, we'd be at his house right now."

There was that suspicion again. "Naturally. It would only be proper."

A flash of insight, and she made a show of hesitating, shifting in her seat, biting her lip, looking at her hands. "There's... another reason that we came _here_ , rather than Wayne Enterprises. When I was looking for Robin, I... well, I brushed against his mind. Sometimes there's a... memory transfer. Usually, they're somehow connected to what my target is thinking about. I saw someone get hurt, and Jason Todd's funeral. I guess Robin must have seen what happened, must have been trying to stop it. I'm sorry to bring it up like this. What happened to Jason was... horrible. We think that whoever killed Jason may be the same person that has Robin."

 _Checkmate_.

Alfred smiled wryly. "Very clever of you, Miss Raven, and quite right. Have you learned everything you need to Master Bruce?"

"Yes." The low voice made them all jump, and Raven whirled to see Bruce Wayne standing in the corner, his mouth set in hard lines and his arms across his chest. She couldn't see how he got in. If this was the man who taught Robin everything he knew about stealth, she could understand why Cyborg was always threatening to put a bell on him. "What are you doing here?"

Beast Boy opened his mouth to reply, then hesitated and looked nervously at Alfred. Clearly he hadn't been following the conversation. "I'm well aware of Master Bruce's evening activities, as well as the danger that young Master Dick is currently facing," the butler said. "You may speak freely."

"We're here for Robin." Beast Boy said, then hesitated again, "Sir."

"We know about the Joker and the trains," Cyborg added, getting to his feet. "We thought you might need the help."

Bruce's scowl deepened. "You're the one who broke into my system?" Cyborg nodded. "You won't do it again."

Raven had had enough. "The point is, we're here because Robin needs us. What do you need us to do?"

Bruce took his time to look over all of them. Cyborg, sitting impatient in the chair. Beast Boy, crumbs on his mouth and overeager. Starfire, mute and still on the couch. His glare turned last to Raven, and she gave as good as she got. "I work alone," he said, and that was that.

"No." At least, it should have been, but it seemed that Starfire had finally returned to reality. When she spoke again, her voice was louder, more forceful. "No, we will _not_ return home. We are here to save Robin, and that is what we will do."

Batman gave her a withering look. "I'm not interested in having some half-trained teenagers get in my way. I don't know you and I don't trust you. You're not a part of this."

Star rose straight into the air until she towered over him. "I fear there has been some miscommunication. We are not asking for your permission. Either we will assist you to stop the Joker's plan and save Richard or we will save him on our own, but he is not yours to protect anymore. We are 'part of this' because he is part of our team! He is _ours_ , and we do not leave without him!"

The only outward sign Bruce gave of his surprise was a raised eyebrow. Raven's lips twitched. "So there," she added dryly, and Beast Boy snorted.

Cyborg joined Starfire, crossing his arms. "We saw the video. We know what happened to Jason Todd. We're not leavin' without him. Whether we fight with you or get in the way? Your call."

Amusement colored Alfred's voice. "They seem rather determined, don't they Sir?"

"Yes," Bruce growled, "and I hate determined kids. We do this my way. You don't question, you don't argue, you don't disobey. Clear?" He seemed to have picked out Raven as the leader here, because he addressed the question directly to her.

The demon inside her purred. "Whatever you say."

 **Author's Note:** Aaaand now we get to the fun stuff. I've been looking forward to the next couple chapters this whole time. We're almost to the end, my darlings. This was never meant to be a long fic, just the first in my world. I've been having fun with one word writing prompts. This one was 'Introduction' and because I can't make anything simple, this mini-fic was born. Let me know how I'm doing! Reviews feed starving artists... or our egos. One or the other.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I love it when a plan comes together, don't you? The next chapter, for your consideration. I think there will only be another two or so, but who knows? I might decide to play a little longer in this story. Let me know what you think!

Bruce Wayne was incredibly hard to read. Some people were. Robin, for example, was hard to get a read from. She actually had to concentrate to get an idea of what he was feeling, and even then, it was just the basics. Happy, angry, that kind of thing. Wayne was something else, and she suspected that this was where Robin had learned more than just stealth and fighting. The Batcave was impressive. Large HD monitors, gadgets and tools on the walls, a spare suit on a dummy in a glass case, and a 3d holographic map of the city on a table. Nearby there were all manner of air, sea, and road vehicles stashed neatly in their hangars on different levels of the cave.. Beast Boy and Cyborg were beside themselves, but she had bigger issues.

Namely the blank wall facing her. Batman had one hand braced on the table, leaning over so he could point out the brick building with a clocktower on top. Nothing. She could sense no emotion from him whatsoever. Whether it was because he was entirely unfeeling or because he had it so locked down even she couldn't find it, she didn't know. "This is the station. If even one of those trains makes it, a lot of people are going to die. Stopping them is first priority."

Starfire was floating above the map, and this made her look up sharply. "Should not saving Robin be our first task?"

Bruce looked at her, and Raven headed him off. "Civilians take priority, Star. We save them first, then Robin." She knew that Bruce had been preparing to say the same thing, but it would be better coming from her. Starfire was full of anger and distrust. She didn't want to mediate the resulting fight, and Robin wouldn't want them to get too used to following Batman's orders. He was tight-lipped about his time with Batman, but something had brought him to Jump, and he always came back from trips to Gotham moody and distressed about something.

Batman nodded. "There's that, and there's a good chance that Joker will be prepared for me to show up before the trains get here. I don't intend to make that mistake."

"You would have let him die if we had not arrived," Starfire said. Not a question.

There! A flicker of… something. Pain, maybe, or regret. His face betrayed nothing."I would have done everything in my power to save him, but if it came down to Robin or thousands of innocents, then yes. I would have let him die. If he's half the man I think he is, he would choose the same thing." Batman looked back to the map. "I have the antidote to the joker venom, rigged into small explosives set on 60-second timers. If we hit the trains in transit, anything that doesn't get neutralized with disperse in the air and no one will get hurt. That gives you one minute to plant the bombs and get out of there. I've narrowed it down to six options. Three are carrying cargo from Laffco Toy Company, three have Wayne-tech shipments."

Beast Boy looked up from where he was studying a black motorcycle. "He knows who you are?"

Batman shrugged. "I can never be sure. I think he does, but it depends on the day you ask him. The Joker isn't interested in Bruce Wayne. He's interested in Batman. Who wears the mask isn't important to him." He moved to the computer, pressing a few keys, and the map shrank to show the region. Red lights popped up. "These are the trains. I wouldn't put it past Joker to have dummies, or even to have a fifth train rigged, so you have to check them all."

"'We?' Cyborg wandered over and picked up one of the explosives, checking the readout on the display panel on his forearm. "What are you going to do while we do the hard work?"

"The hard work is finding Robin. Joker went and got smart on me. He voiced over the recording, probably somewhere soundproof. There's no source of light in the windows to indicate time of day, no shapes of buildings I can match up to. Not the slightest indication of where he is. I'm not even sure he's in Gotham."

Starfire looked to Raven, her eyes lighting up, hope flooding through her. "Would Robin also be able to deduce where he is?"

"Of course," Batman said.

Raven's smile was grim and determined. "If he knows where he is, so do we. _Azarath Metrion Zinthos_." And she was gone. Darkness surrounded her, but she followed the pull of his mind. _Robin. We need to know where you are._

Joker, grinning while he set a bomb on the floor of the cage beneath Robin's feet. Harley, carrying a mallet that she aimed at his ribcage, Curling his legs up and twisting his body to avoid the blow and _pain_ as a surge of electricity ran through him. The blow landed when he went limp and he screamed. God, what had they done to him? _Raven?_

Even in his mind, he sounded weak, but that barrier was still there. _Robin, let me in. Now._

 _No. You have to leave. He'll find you too._

 _He can't find me. I'm with Batman, but we need to know where you are. I need you to tell me._

She sought a weak point, some way to get into his mind, to look through his eyes, hear with his ears. _My mind isn't a great place to be right now._ His weak attempt at humor fell flat.

 _I'll show you mine if you show me yours._

 _Get the trains, Raven. Not me._ She hated the resignation she felt in him. He didn't plan to live through this.

She wouldn't accept that. _We're going to get the trains_ and _you. We're your team, Dick. You have to trust us._

 _How did you…?_

She gave him everything, the connections she'd made, Alfred in the study, Bruce in the corner, Starfire gone silent, then toe to toe with Batman, Cyborg's ill-tempered concern, Beast Boy's quiet determination, the demon inside her that would bring him back to life if he gave up, if only so she could kill him again.

Just like that, she was in, staring down at a bomb through half-lidded eyes. _Is that going to go off?_

 _No. It's pressure-sensitive. It will go off the moment someone steps inside._ He lifted his head, moving slowly. _Sorry if I zap you_. As long as she occupied his mind, she would feel what he did. It allowed her to take stock of his injuries. Broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, countless scrapes and bruises, and plain exhaustion. His mouth was dry, his arms were bloodless and numb but his mind was still sharp. He looked to the boarded windows, studying the light that snuck through. _What time is it?_

 _Around ten in the morning._

 _Can you hear that?_ She concentrated on his hearing. The calls of birds, a metallic clanging, barely audible, and a quiet, steady rush that reminded her of static or wind. _Look at the way the light's coming in. The warehouse is east-facing, by the docks. That's water, and rigging. You can smell the brine in the air._

Now that he pointed it out to her, she could pick out the scent, among the metal and gunpowder that pervaded the warehouse. _How big is the harbor?_

 _Big, but we have to be on the north end. Barges come through the south, and I haven't heard any foghorns. Look in the north. Tell Bruce… two windows, one loading bay, brick building._ His head fell and she could feel him losing consciousness, drained by just the effort of holding it up. Time to go.

 _Hold on. We're coming for you._ She returned to herself. "He's in an east-facing warehouse on the north end of the docks. He said to tell you two windows and a loading bay in a brick building.

Bruce was at his map in a moment, looking through the buildings. "Here."

Beast Boy came to her side. "Robin?"

"Hurt, but alive. Joker's rigged the bottom of the cage with a bomb, pressure sensitive."

Bruce looked at the display of tools and gadgets on the wall, then nodded. "Not a problem." He grabbed earpieces and started passing them out. "Here's what we're going to do…"


	5. Chapter 5

Beast Boy had to time this exactly right. If he missed his jump, he might never be able to catch the train again. He could run fast and fly faster, but he'd never tested his speed against a train. Hundred, maybe thousands of lives hung in the balance, Robin's included. No foul-ups. Starfire's voice sounded in his ear. "Target 1 was the 'fake out.' I am heading for the next train now."

"Making contact with Target 2," he said, and jumped from the rock ledge, shifting into a bobcat halfway down, his claws digging into the metal with an awful screeching sound. Well, he wouldn't have to file his nails any time soon. They caught and held, and he waited a moment, wind whipping through his fur before he found the rhythm of the train. Back to human form for the moment, edging along the top of the car until his feet touched a ladder. He climbed down a few rungs. "I'm in."

"Ditto for Target 3," Cyborg's voice said. "BB, bet I can finish this before you can.

"You're on, dude." Beast Boy ducked into the first compartment, looking around. Metal cylinder, red lights, about 8 inches circumference.

Batman was not amused. "This isn't a game, or a race. Just get the job done."

Raven's voice sounded again. "My money's on Beast Boy." Starfire giggled. Nothing here. He moved on to the next.

"Not you too," Batman sounded annoyed.

"With everything that's going on, if they want to make it a competition, that's their right. I'm not going to stop them," Raven said. "Plus, Beast Boy can turn into a spider and check hard-to-reach places without having to . He'll get through his train faster. Making contact with Target 4."

Beast Boy the spider crawled out of a box of crates and took human form. "Bet I beat you too, Rae."

"Call me Rae again and I'll be doing the beating," Raven muttered.

"Sorry." Beast Boy moved to the next car.

"I have arrived at Target 5."

"Already? You fly _fast,_ Star!" Cyborg sounded impressed.

"Was that not why I was tasked with doing the checking of two trains?"

Next car. Keep moving. "Found one. In your face, Cy! Setting explosive now." He unwrapped the wire from the bomb Batman had given them and wrapped it carefully around the device. Then he opened the door and pressed the button. _60_ , the interface said, _59... 58..._ "I'm getting out of here." He jumped out the door and took on pterodactyl form, needing the strength in his wings to get out of the trains slipstream, and then he was climbing higher into the sky, following it at a safe distance while he waited, counting with it. _5...4...3...2...1._

He was on the ground as soon as he saw the explosion, back in human form. "Confirmed hit."

"Good," Bruce said. "Head to your next location."

"On my way."

Cyborg glared at the device, the explosive already attached. "Man, you beat me by one second," He complained, and pressed the button. The countdown started, and he headed out of the back of the car, standing on the connector cable. He'd modified his boots for this, but he hadn't had time to test it. "Sink or swim time," He said to himself, and jumped free, activating the rockets in his soles. He had enough power to get him free of the train and for a landing that was softer than it sounded, but not much more than that.

He checked the readout on his forearm. 9% power. There was a blast of warm wind as the train car exploded. "I got it. Hurry up, BB. I need to charge up." He got a harsh prehistoric screech in response.

Raven ported through the walls, her shadows wrapped around her, and levitated into the air. "Planted, and-" _Boom!_ "Gone. Moving to the final target."

Starfire twisted the ends of the wire together, holding the explosive in place. "I have found mine as well. If the Joker spoke the truth, this should be the final device."

Batman snorted. "A good rule to live by is never assume that the Joker told the truth. Set it and get back to the Batcave."

Starfire pressed the button and flew away from the train, hovering mid air and watching. As soon as the blast went off, she turned south. "I am on my way."

Bruce rose out of his crouch, looking at the brick warehouse with the boarded windows. "Good. I'm going in." The lapping of waves against hulls and the quiet hiss of the wind were very forgiving of accidental noises made by people trying to sneak up on abandoned warehouses. Batman made no such noises, accidental or otherwise. He ghosted from shadow to shadow, unseen and unheard. A grappling hook got him up the side of the building. Most places like this had a skylight or a vent or something. He wasn't disappointed. The grate came free of its groove with a little crunching sound, and he moved it to the side so he could peer down into the warehouse.

Five men, armed, waited below, playing cards to pass the time, but there was no sign of Quinn or Joker. He dropped a smoke pellet in and jumped into the middle of the resulting confusion, holding his breath. Five heavy thuds on the ground and he strode through the cloud to where he'd marked the door, pushing it open. East, always moving east.

He had to assume that Joker was here, waiting for him. If the cage that held Robin was rigged to explode, it would be too easy to set the bomb off in the fight. If Dick died, Bruce might have to reconsider his 'no killing' rule.

So rescue his son first and then bring Joker and Quinn down. He pushed through another door, the blueprints he'd pulled fresh in his mind, then flipped the breaker, plunging the building into darkness.

Batman is here, and he isn't happy. Another door and he was in the main room, infared showing the heat of one body, suspended off the ground. No one else around. He shot a grappling hook into the ceiling on one side of the cage, then the other, twisting the cables around each other to keep them off the floor of the cage and away from that pressure sensitive bomb. Then he began to climb. Picking the lock was the work of a moment and then he was inside, wrapping one of the ropes around his waist and holding on with the other one. "Robin?"

The limp figure in the cage gave no answer. Unconscious then, which was probably for the best, though he wouldn't have turned his nose up to having some back up. He had to find the wires by feel, looped through the chains and running down Robin's arms. Enough moonlight crept through the boarded windows for Batman to see the silhouette of his partner, hanging limp and still, but not much else. He adjusted his grip on his wire cutters, hoping the Joker hadn't thought to run the electricity through some back-up generator. He clipped the first wire, then when it didn't shock him, he breathed a sigh of relief and moved onto the next.

Then came the hard part, holding the ropes away from the ground while he maneuvered Robin into a fireman's carry and pick the locks on the manacles one handed. Robin's weight settled heavily on his shoulder, and he let out the rope slowly, shifting along it until they were out of the cage and down to the ground. "I know you've gotten taller, but I didn't realize you'd gotten this heavy," he grumbled.

The figure draped over his shoulder laughed and a knife slid between his ribs. Batman swore and shoved the man away from him, going down on one knee.

"Let there be light!" Joker cackled, and the electricity powered up. The bastard was holding his hands out in triumph, wearing Robin's cape. "Welcome back to our game, Bats! Let's see if our lovely assistant will show us what's behind door number one!" He gestured to a stack of crates, and Harley Quinn pushed back the sheet of thermal heat shielding that had hidden them from his infared scan. She had to use her foot to do it, because one hand was buried in Robin's hair, the other holding a blade in his mouth.

They'd dragged Robin out when the smoke bomb went off, alerted by the closed circuit cameras they'd hidden everywhere, and he hadn't had the energy to fight them off, though he'd gotten a few good kicks in before Harley swung her mallet at his head and everything had gone black. He couldn't have been out for long, but he woke up with his hands tied behind his back as she dragged him to his knees by a hand in his hair, seconds before the door opened. His heart had leapt into his throat when he'd seen the pointed ears of Batman's cowl, but the hand in his hair had tightened and a knife had been forced between his teeth, digging in. A silent warning that if he moved or called out, he'd get a grin to match the Joker's.

He'd watched in horror as Bruce climbed closer to the Joker. _It's not me! Bruce, it isn't me!_ He'd been able to do nothing to stop it when the knife slid in.

They needed a solution, some way to get out of the situation. There had to be some way to get free of Quinn and join the fight that was starting, but it was so hard to focus. He was dizzy, nauseous, and his head pounded. That hammer had hit him pretty hard.

He needed to lure her into letting go, and soon, because his body was giving out on him, falling slowly closer to oblivion. Oblivion. That's was it. With a silent prayer to whatever God might be listening, he let himself go slack, held up only by the hand in his hair. The knife dug into his skin and he tasted blood, but he forced himself not to react. Harley pulled his head back and he let her do it, keeping his eyes closed, staying unresponsive. The knife moved out of his mouth and she opened a cut on his cheek, shallow, but right below his eye.

He moved, jerking his head out of her grip and sweeping her legs out from under her. He rolled away as she went down, forcing his legs through the circle of his arms to bring his hands in front of him. His dislocated shoulder screamed in pain, but at least he was on his feet. Harley grinned. "No fair, playin' with a woman's concern like that. Didn't the B-man teach ya manners?" Robin said nothing. Hero-villain banter had its place, and antagonizing your enemy could make them sloppy, careless. It made Harley and the Joker more dangerous, and he was in enough trouble as it was. With a shrug, she reached for her hammer. "Guess I'll have t' beat some into ya."

He shifted away from her first swing, coming back-to-back with Batman. "How much fight you got left in you?"

"Not enough to take another hit with that thing." He pressed backward and the hammer passed close enough to his face that he could hear the air whistling in its wake. "

"Then don't get hit." Metal flashed in front of him and his hands were free. He kicked the batarang up and caught it.

The hammer was already swinging in his direction, and he raised his arm to block it, shifting on his feet until everything was lined up properly, and took the hit. The impact rang through his entire arm, but it also forced his shoulder joint back into place. He rolled his shoulder as he circled. "That's much better. Thanks."

She snarled in reply and aimed a vicious swipe at his ribs. He stumbled backwards and had to use a back handspring to avoid it. No good. He'd puncture a lung doing stunts like that, and his shoulder might have been back in working order, but it was far from healed. She gave him no time to get his feet under him; she kept swinging and he kept stumbling backwards, away from her. He couldn't keep this up, and-

Something slammed into his shoulders from behind, and he went sprawling. Pain radiated out and down from his spine, and he couldn't get up. The brief rush of adrenaline was gone, and all that was left was bone deep exhaustion. He summoned just enough energy to roll over and look at the Joker, standing above him with a crowbar and a mad grin. Harley had switched her attention to Batman, who was trying to get past her while she tried to herd him farther away.

The edges of his vision started going dark, and oddly enough, so did a circle kind of towards the middle, like a hole was opening up in the ceiling beyond. It reminded him of… something. "Any last words, Boy Blunder?" Something familiar. Cold and menacing, but… welcome, like darkness used for light.

Robin grinned. "Just two. _Titans, go!_ "

The room exploded into action that moved too fast for his exhausted mind to follow. Green starbolts forced the Joker back, and then a black cape whirled by. Then a blue one.

He was so tired…

A sonic cannon went off. Something exploded.

Everything ached. The room was spinning.

Harley hit the ground, a green anaconda wrapped around her. From the pained grimace on her face, it was squeezing pretty tight.

Blackness swirled around the edges of his vision.

Then, green on green eyes, red hair. "Robin? Robin!"

He knew those eyes, that voice. "Star."

A warm hand wrapped around his. "Robin, please, you must do the staying with me!"

"M'okay, Star," he mumbled, and squeezed back. "It's over." He closed his eyes and let the darkness have him.

 **Author's Note:** I enjoyed the fact that I could write this in a variety of different POVs since I've been paying with them this whole story. I enjoyed more writing in Robin's POV. There will probably be only one chapter left in this story, because I'm on to something maybe a little bit longer and darker. The Joker is an incredibly useful Big Bad because he's crazy-evil, which is always fun to write, but not all demons are external. I'm working on it, but I don't know that I'll be posting any incredibly dark stories just yet. I have so much more to explore. I know this story is hella short, but I hope you're enjoying!


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